Lebogang Botlhoko, a women’s rights advocate, author and head of the gender issues committee of VOIS Cyprus (Voices of International Students in Cyprus) speaks to Magda Zenon on kaleidHERscope about VOIS and the challenges faced by international students studying at the universities in northern Cyprus, especially the women, about the ever rising gender based violence, about gender equality versus gender equity and about her mental health issues and how she deals with them.

Elisabeth Villiger Toufexis, a fellow podcast host, tour guide, interpreter, mother, and much much more speaks to Magda Zenon on kaleidHERscope about her formative years, her passion for traveling, her book, her podcast, about kindness and her love for her family. KaleidHERscope – a podcast with women from around the global talking openly and authentically about a kaleidoscope of topics, including politics, gender-based violence, peacebuilding, migration and theatre, hosted by peace and women’s rights activist Magda Zenon.

Seagull Shahbazi, women’s rights activist and founder of the ‘Women of Cyprus’ initiative speaks to Magda Zenon on kaleidHERscope after the first anniversary of the #WomenLifeFreedom revolution following the murder of Mahsa Amini, about why this fight is so important and that it is about more than just the hijab, what’s happening in Iran now and what she hopes will happen going forward.

Chiara Rosselli, co-founder & executive director of the APROPOS Group and a speaker at the Cyprus Forum on the 29th September 2023 speaks to kaleidHERscope about how redesigning or tweaking processes can help fix politics, whether at political party level or non-profit organization level. As a process designer and a political dialogue curator since 2015, she talks about being a firm believer that a better way for the political sector to communicate and collaborate is possible, about the big challenges, her dream clients and about using conferences more effectively. For more information about : Apropos Group: https://www.aproposgroup.org/ Cyprus Forum…

African mystic, author, healer, and midwife Mmatshilo Motsei speaks to Magda Zenon on KaleidHERscope about uncovering the old truth that Africa is great and powerful and that, because of the poisoning of our mind, our soul is afflicted, about multi-generational healing and community development and of the role of indigenous midwifery in countering obstetric violence.

Educator, actor, director and playwright Renos Spanoudes, a South African Greek Cypriot Diasporan speaks on kaleidHERscope about playing the role of Dimitri Tsafendas, the assassin of the architect of apartheid, and, advocate George Bizos in the landmark Rivonia Trials, about how the scenarios of these plays developed as archives were opened over time and the original narrative was no longer valid. He also speaks about Nelson Mandela, diversity and inclusion and how storytelling in all its forms – acting, narration, writing, drawing, etc – may ultimately be a more effective peacebuilding tool.

Argyro Nicolaou, a Cypriot writer and filmmaker who calls both Cyprus and NYC home, speaks on kaleidHERScope about memory, conflict, and displacement, the role that Varoshi has played in her life and her work, how story-telling can be a healing process, how her work links historical research to create 3-dimensional, character-driven narratives for the page and the screen, and about leaving Cyprus and finding her place in metropolitan NY.

Ipek Borman and Myrtani Pieri speak on kaleidHERscope about the Transformative Scenario Process (TSP), a distinctive process that does not promote a specific solution, but rather looks at the multiple concerns of Cypriots today including but also beyond the “Cyprus problem” and allowed Cypriots from across society to explore and discuss their whole future together. Myrtani and Ipek speak of the process itself, how they each experienced it, the 4 possible ‘scenarios and the challenges then and now that the scenarios have been published. You can find more information about the Transformative Scenario Process here www.cyprusfutures.org  

Despina Psara, an active member of civil society speaks on kaleidHERscope about the value of a space for women’s voices, what she would want for Cyprus, body shaming, job opportunities (or NOT) for the youth, and what she would tell President Christodoulides, if she could.

Welcome to the first episode of KaleidHERscope as a member of the Island Talks family! In this special episode, Magda Zenon hosts Hara Kaminera. Hara Kaminara, a documentary maker, visual storyteller and photographer who focuses on social issues, speaks to kaleidHERscope about her participation aboard the ‘Aquarius’, a ship that rescued 29,523 people in the Mediterranean between 2016 and 2018 and how she turned that experience into a visual intimate letter to the child she was pregnant with at the time, ‘A Letter to Nikola’ in 2020. For more information and ways to view http://www.derives.be/films/lettre-a-nikola & https://dafilms.com/director/12536-hara-kaminara